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US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee approved $250,000 under the FY06 Interior Appropriations Act for Mohawk Valley Water Authority in Utica to develop and enhance methods to detect water bacteria, a critical component of emergency preparedness. The bill must now be approved by the full Senate before being sent to a House and Senate Conference Committee and eventually being signed into law. Schumer aggressively lobbied members of the... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumers amendment passed the Senate last night, requiring the federal government to establish efficiency standards for the replacement tires that drivers buy when the old tires wear out. Most current replacement tires are between 20 and 60 percent less efficient than the original tires automakers equip cars with to help meet federal fuel economy standards. Schumer introduced the amendment last Tuesday to the Energy Bill, which just passed the Senate 8512. This is great... Read More

Today US Senator Charles E. Schumer announced $5,966,407 in funding for Americorps programs in New York City and Brooklyn. The grant is being awarded by the Corporation for National and Community Service. AmeriCorps is one of the world's greatest service programs and this funding will go a long way, not just for the members who will serve, but for the younger people and families who will benefit from the hard work and dedication of the program and its volunteers, Schumer said. The quality... Read More

Standing at the site of a potentially cancercausing MTBE spill like the ones that threaten dozens of drinking water wells on Long Island, today, US Senator Charles E. Schumer released a new list of MTBE hotspots that are adjacent to or on top of public drinking water supply wells. The previously undisclosed list of MTBE spills that have taken place near Long Island has been made available to the state but not to the public. And, if specific special interest provisions are included in the Energy... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer pressed the new nominee for Veterans Administration Secretary, Jim Nicholson, to support the community advisory board currently deciding the fate of the Canandaigua VA Hospital. Schumer, who convinced Secretary Anthony Principi to involve local community leaders in the decision process, said that the panel was carefully constructed to include the views of local veterans and community members, and disrupting the panel would be counterproductive. Nicholson agreed to... Read More

Today U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer announced his opposition to the Energy Bill passed by the U.S. Senate, saying the bill was a step backwards for the environment, taxpayers, and national security. The bill passed by a vote of 7426 today after passing the House last night. Schumer said Americas refusal to seriously address our dependence on foreign oil was a mistake of historic proportions. Our refusal to understand and see ahead of the curve and say we're going to avoid this energy problem... Read More

Today U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Courts, sent a letter to President George W. Bush to ask for cooperation in ensuring a smooth process leading to the upcoming confirmation hearing for Judge John G. Roberts to the Supreme Court, which is only a month away [September 6, 2005]. The Judiciary Committee sent a request letter nine days ago to the White House detailing specific Roberts files, but there has been no response, timetable, or documents... Read More

Standing outside the Thomas Jefferson Memorial today, Senators Reid, Schumer, Clinton, Kennedy, Boxer and other members of the Senate Democratic Caucus presented a united front to fight an attempt to undo 200 years of American history and urge Republican Senators to preserve checks and balances by voting against the nuclear option. Sen. Frist has already rejected a compromise that would have allowed the President to claim victory on more judicial nominees giving him an almost 100% passage rate... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer late Wednesday urged the Director of Park Service to expeditiously release the Niagara Falls Heritage Area Resource study. Schumer secured $300,000 for the study, which has explored the feasibility of creating a National Heritage Partnership in Niagara Falls. This "special resource" study is the first step toward gaining a National Heritage Area designation for the area, a status that would enable the National Park Service to assist local efforts to... Read More

Millions of New Yorkers are at risk for identity theft, Senator Charles E. Schumer revealed today as he exposed a giant flaw in an information database that allows almost anybody's personal information to get into the wrong hands. Schumer sent a letter to the head of Westlaw, a data search company based in Minnesota, asking that an egregious loophole in their Internetbased PeopleFind be disabled for use by its clients. The program allows subscribers to log in, type in the name of the person... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that he has secured a major provision in the Senate Energy Bill that would offer tax credits for telecom businesses purchasing stationary fuel cells, a move that could open up new markets for Plug Power. Schumer, a member of the Senate Finance Committee lobbied aggressively for the provision and said that telecom companies would be encouraged to purchase from Plug Power because of a 30percent business energy credit for the purchase of qualified fuel... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today met with the Commander of the Niagara Air Reserve Station (NARS), Colonel Jim Roberts, to discuss ongoing operations at NARS as well as efforts to enhance the station and support its personnel. NARS is home to the 914th Airlift Wing and the 107th Air Refueling wing, both of which have served as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Niagara Air Reserve Station is critically important to the local economy and to our military. The men and women of the 914th... Read More

Washington, DC Six months following the expiration of the federal assault weapons ban, U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (DCA), John W. Warner (RVA), Charles Schumer (DNY), and Mike DeWine (ROH) today introduced legislation that would reestablish the ban in federal law. Since the assault weapons ban was allowed to expire, it has been open season for criminals who want the most dangerous types of militarystyle assault weapons, Senator Feinstein said. Let there be no doubt, these weapons are the... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer delivered the following statement at today's Judiciary Committee vote on the nomination of the Honorable Alberto Gonzales to be Attorney General of the United States: Mr. Chairman, I have to be honest with you, this has been one of the most difficult votes on a nominee I've had to make since coming to the Senate. I like Judge Gonzales. I respect him. I think he's a gentleman and a genuinely good man. We've worked well together, especially when... Read More

It has been reported today that economist and Bush Social Security Committee member, Bob Pozen, criticized Bush's Social Security privatization proposal. He said the president's insistence that individual accounts come out of Social Security is a bad idea that Democrats wont support and he advised the president to say they arent a required part of his Social Security plan. In reaction, Sen. Chuck Schumer, a member of the Senate Finance Committee and point person on Social Security for... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced over $1.86 million in federal funds for North County fire departments and organizations to pay for fire operations and fire safety. The funds are being awarded through the Assistance to Firefighters program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This is a great day for fire departments in the North Country, said Schumer. Firefighters and emergency professionals put their lives on the line every day and it is imperative that we do... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today unveiled a new proposal to support volunteer firefighters and emergency medical service (EMS) providers in Rochester/Finger Lakes region. Joined by volunteer firefighters who shared their recruitment struggles, Schumer announced his legislation, the Supporting Emergency Responders Volunteer Efforts (SERVE) Act to offer a $1,000 tax credit for active members of volunteer firefighting and EMS organizations. Schumer specifically addressed the recruitment and... Read More

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that a $220,000 grant and a $980,000 loan was awarded to the Village of Laurens to assist in replacing the water distribution system. The funds are being awarded through the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Development program as a Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant. "This is great news for the Village of Laurens," Schumer said. "The water system is critical to the livelihood of the community and the... Read More

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and Rep. Sander Levin (DMI) held a joint conference call to respond to President Bushs announcement last night that he wanted to not only privatize Social Security, but also include a plan that would deeply cut benefits to lower and middle class families. Schumer, a member of the Senate Finance Committee and Chairman of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, and Levin, the senior Democrat on the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security have both... Read More

WASHINGTON, DC Senators Chuck Schumer (DNY) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (DNY) were joined by Representatives Louise Slaughter (DNY), Tom Reynolds (RNY) and Brian Higgins (DNY) in writing to the Department of Labor (DOL) to request an immediate search for additional records about uranium rollings conducted at the Bethlehem Steel plant in Lackawanna, NY during the 1950s. Under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Act (EEOICPA), DOL has the responsibility to set eligibility dates... Read More